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The mustachioed granddaddy of back-alley fag enhancers, "poppers" is the name given to any number of alkyl or amyl nitrates found these days in little bottles labeled as "room odorisor" or ďVCR head cleanerĒ with brand names like "Rush" and "BANG!!" and "Jungle Juice." The drug was originally a treatment for angina, and got its street name from being sold in small glass ampules that made a popping sound when they were crushed to release their vapors. Once blamed for the 'gay virus' that appeared in 1981 (they now think that was something else), poppers are still said to cause temporary weakening of the immune system. After the jump, our complete field guide.

Effects: Euphoric pleasure, drop in blood pressure, sensations of heat and arousal and a relaxing of smooth muscle tissue, i.e. the sphincter.

Spectrum of Users: In the late seventies, Time identfied them as a fad spreading from the gays to "avant garde heterosexuals," but it never really took off with straights. In 1978's Dancer from the Dance, Andrew Holleran described men (presumably at New York's 10th Floor dance club) spinning circles around the parquet with hankies in their mouths soaked with the stuff. Charming. Not exactly the club-scene favorite it once was, it's more of an occasional indulgence kept in a drawer with the lube, a convenient help-mate for the fisting set, and a semi-ironic choice for twentysomethings who'll try anything twice. A refreshing weeknight alternative to tweaking or sniffing glue.

Pros: Cheap and can be easily procured online or at a gay gift store near you. Workís miracles in situations where your anus needs to have the flexibility of a vagina.

Cons: Smells toxic; high lasts only a couple of minutes; may cause irritation, rash, or brain damage; has been known to make some go soft; you might die of heart failure if you're old and on Viagra, but really, you might anyway.

Addiction Potential: If you like headaches and smelling like diesel, 5 out of 5. If not, youíre pretty safe.

The Sword Guide has it completely wrong when it mentions guys sucking on soaked-with-poppers hankies in their mouths. This was never done, and it would be terribly dangerous. Poppers ought never to come into contact with the skin; they must be inhaled only.

What Holleran wrote about was the use of hankies drenched with ethyl chloride. This was inhaled by sucking on a hanky in one's mouth. It's an entirely different drug and was used primarily while disco-dancing, not during sex.

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"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

"small glass ampules that made a popping sound when they were crushed to release their vapors"

People use to keep them little vials in the fridge--almost coverted. I got the impression they weren't as readily found as the stinky stuff that flooded the market.

Anyway, I couldn't get past the smell and they weren't much of an aphrodisiac with me. Actually, I would get much annoyed when guys would break out the poppers. On the dance floor. In bed. Ever had any spilt down your nose in the middle of passionate sex. eek! Kills the mood, ya know.

The Sword Guide has it completely wrong when it mentions guys sucking on soaked-with-poppers hankies in their mouths. This was never done, and it would be terribly dangerous. Poppers ought never to come into contact with the skin; they must be inhaled only.

What Holleran wrote about was the use of hankies drenched with ethyl chloride. This was inhaled by sucking on a hanky in one's mouth. It's an entirely different drug and was used primarily while disco-dancing, not during sex.

Totally right dear. Now pass me that Ethyl Rag stat! You can still buy this stuff, and the last time I did it was at a pool side party in Miami for retro-effect with a kindred dear soul. We had a blast teaching the youngsters about Miss Ethyl.

a word of caution: poppers and smoking together can be very dangerous.

I remember a very fine night in the late 80's on the dancefloor, watching my friend fling fire from his hands onto the dancefloor as the spilt poppers were ignited by his cigarette. Even though I reminded him, as the paramedics took him from the dancefloor with his 2nd degree-burned hands wrapped in bandages, he never did replace the bottle.

mikie(who has had "popper burns" plenty of times rather than actual burns )

Oh please. I've done it all with this crap. I even had some spurt in my eye just the other day I was going at it so furiously. IMMA WILD MAN.

However, the absolute worst was spilling an entire magnum of imported FISTģ all over the new Tempurpedic and 400 thread count Frette. Naturally I should have been using my trusty Fort Troff black rubber bed coverings.

Oh, and an incline workout bench was involved at one point as well. I vaguely recall what the guy looked like, but not clearly. I know which bar I picked him up at though, and that's really more important.

Very funny thread! Ever had your lips and fingernails turn blue from using poppers all night? This lasted for a couple of hours!

Yep. But more often than that I've had red, raw & peeling nostrils from repeated minor moments of contact & little spills that came about due to a top that didn't know when to take a proper little whoa.

One of the fundamental marks of a great top is unspoken understanding of The Poppers PauseTM.

And so it is that one of the fundamental marks of a lesser skilled top ends up borne on the face of the bottom.

I wish I could do them, but I have bad allergies to strong smells, instant headaches. Have to lean back when others do them. This thread is most entertaining though!

Indeed.

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Cruise on down the High Way

"When people who are not ready jump in, things can go horribly wrong. For most of us, there is always time to take a deep breath, consider one's options and make a careful, sound decision based on clinical fact, not emotion."MtD

Fascinating. Similar to smoking "wet" which is a street version of embalming fluid rolled in a blunt. Yes, I've spent much to much time in the sordid shooting galleries of North Philly. It's really PCP, I believe. Frankly I was less than impressed.

I was once with this one guy who dipped his cigarette into the bottle, then took a hit from his cigarette, looked like he liked it, did it more than once. I was too chicken to try it.

That sounds very frightning and I dont know what benfit it would add. Popperssmoked with tobacco?? Kinda like spraying insect repellent Raid onto the joint/cigarette.

Whats wrong with a GOOD quality strain Joint. Good weed is fantastic and safe and most enjoyable before/after/ day after anytime.

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Cruise on down the High Way

"When people who are not ready jump in, things can go horribly wrong. For most of us, there is always time to take a deep breath, consider one's options and make a careful, sound decision based on clinical fact, not emotion."MtD

When I did it all of my friends stipulated that I had to be baby sat and strictly monitored, as there's this very nuanced threshold where you pass out, stop breathing and potentially die. I have a tendency to forget my limits at certain points.

Frankly I didn't find the high very impressive, and certainly not worth the drama. Maybe I just didn't "get" it. I only tried it 3 times.

Mind you... I don't do any of these silly things any longer. Are people still doing "G" a lot now? It was very "in" about 10 years ago, until they started finding corpses littered around various night clubs, and caught security hiding them in closets, etc.... or sticking the bodies down the block instead of calling an ambulance. Liability issues and all that. It's why Twilo got closed down in 2001, and that was my home base.

Oh, and a word of warning. You NEVER EVER drink alcohol when you're doing G. IIRC there's even a period of time after you've come down off of it where you should ingest any, though I can't recall the specifics.

Oh, and a word of warning. You NEVER EVER drink alcohol when you're doing G. IIRC there's even a period of time after you've come down off of it where you should ingest any, though I can't recall the specifics.

Oh right. I remember that now. I'm just saying I didn't encounter the drug being used among friends until 10 years ago, and I began going out to gay clubs in the *cough* early 80's.

AFAIK one can't die from ketamine. I fully researched this at one time, it has some property that prevents whatever the medical term is for choking on your tongue of asphyxia. I'd assume it was G, but for some reason I have it in my head it was assumed it was that but then they figured out it was something else.

Oh, just let it out girl. It's Hump Day, which means it's time for self-confessionals on the board.

Like Hump Day makes a difference. How much have I not self-confessed on this board?

GHB...otherwise known as "Grievous Harm to the Body". If one was careless.

In New Orleans circa 2001, I was out partying in the middle of the street in the afternoon during the Halloween celebration. Someone pointed out, "Look at the naked guy." I looked, and there was a stripper from the gay bar wobbling along the sidewalk outside the bar in a total G swirl. Nothing on but his boots and a band or two. Ambulance had to part the crowds of Bourbon Street to whisk him off in the middle of the afternoon.

Having...um...experience G in my olden days, the big thing in DC is to mix it with meth, the 2 combined create a .... "I am a total whore do what you want with me" feeling. It lasts about 30 min - an hour. People still ask about gina, though from what I understand it is becoming hard to find...not that I have been looking

Oh, I'm sure I mixed those two. The G crowd ALWAYS did Tina too. I was really in the Ketamine and E crowd, but I tried to live a fulfilling life and alternate my substances as I was taught at an early age by a club mentor that this is how one avoids messy addictions. And it's quite true. On other nights I'd ring up the models/hair stylists crowd for those uber-fab coke nights where everything arrived by Papito, the 1-800 Manhattan delivery service.

Oh, and let's not even GO near the ex-Madonna dancers heroin crowd. Those children were bad news. Messy, messy... they'd get me in so much trouble.

There are other Nightclub Rules -- such as "never dance on raised surfaces" etc.

Really? G is more readily available and more popular than ever on the gay scene in London .. except it isnít actually the same stuff, is ten times as potent and more evil than ever.

It is still the only drug that earns you a lifetime ban from most clubs (though I suspect that has more to do with the fact that if you are doing G you arenít buying other drugs from the in-house dealers).

I remember that about the G in England. When I was there in Dec 2006 they had all these articles in the gay papers about the evil of G. At the time I was wondering what that was all about...here I guess the stuff is really less potent, I had never heard of anyone dieing from it. I have sequestered myself from it as well....every time I did the pnp scene something bad happened to me...syphilis, HIV, a short stay in a mental institution....

Watching some oversized muscle mary dragged out of a club on a sunday morning due to far to much Gina is a sight that has become as common as a twink dancing in his white pants and sun glasses in the london clubs these days.I tried it once and it made me feel drunk without the feeling of i want to be sick. I didnt see the point of it so never done it since, im most definatley in the Kitty and disco biscuit club.Off my face surrounded by beautiful half naked men is my idea of heaven on a stick, long may it continue.

Off my face surrounded by beautiful half naked men is my idea of heaven on a stick, long may it continue.

AHMEN!!!

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Cruise on down the High Way

"When people who are not ready jump in, things can go horribly wrong. For most of us, there is always time to take a deep breath, consider one's options and make a careful, sound decision based on clinical fact, not emotion."MtD